eMarketer Said that Global Digital sales would touch $6.17 trillion by 2023, with ecommerce sites covering up 22.3% of total retail sales. Although some might believe false truths that the general online market is becoming saturated, stats like this show that we’re a long way off from that happening. So, if you have a super idea with a viable audience, chances are you can make it work if you have the right strategy and business plan.
But you need to be three things: smart, committed and in tune with trends. Priviness in light of the most recent developments will give you a guaranteed competitive advantage. So, to enlighten and inform, we have gathered four crucial tips for entrepreneurs looking to grow their online business. It’s time for you to make the most of this momentous opportunity to catch the fast-moving, fast-evolving train that is ecommerce.
1. Alternative payments
One of the key traits of modern needs is adaptability. And with this, providing alternative ways to do things goes hand-in-hand. Nowadays people have numerous ways of paying for things online: debit, credit, PayPal and now Apple Pay. With each innovation, convenience has been the heart of its growth in popularity.
As these new methods come out, you need to be offering them. It could well be the difference between a customer checking out, or snubbing you at the last moment. Don’t believe us? Well, research shows that 56% of consumers said that if customers couldn’t use their payment method of choice, it would permanently put them off shopping on a site.
Remember, the emotional state of a customer at checkout is fickle and easily swayed, so you need to be brutish in your implementation. Give them no excuse to close that browser. Keep them flowing down the checkout river until the order is completed.
2. Super-fast and efficient delivery
If you have a first-time customer, the last impression you want to create is one of unreliability and sloppiness. If your delivery service and courier is not up to scratch, you’ll struggle to maintain their long-term custom regardless of product quality.
So, get the basics right. Make sure your brand offers up cutting edge in terms of delivery. Next-day delivery is a given now, and you ought to be offering it. But with fast-adapting brands trying to eke out as much as a competitive advantage as possible, the rise of same-day delivery is in full force, and it won’t be long until this it’s a mainstay.
To ensure your transition to a more efficient delivery process is smooth, you’ll want to partner with an experienced courier at the forefront of the same-day delivery transition. CitySprint, for example, offers a priority same day service where you can get your package collected in 60 minutes or less, making it an incredibly convenient service that prioritises customer service.
3. Keeping it personal and authentic
Customers are confronted with thousands of choices in the online marketplace. So in order to get their attention, you need to be remarkable and memorable. This is not just in the quality of your product, but in the way you connect with your consumer too. Authenticity differentiates you from competitors and finds more customers who share your unique values. But how exactly can you be authentic in this digital age? Well, it’s all about engagement.
Think about how you interact with your customers. Is it through automated emails? Or are you in the trenches replying to comments on vibrant socials? Is your returns policy a blank underwhelming document? Or is it full of entertaining, brand-orientated copy with a tone of voice that differentiates you from your competitors?
Modern customers no longer respond to dullness and corporate messaging. Millennials and Generation Zs seek emotional connections to a brand and want to feel their essence at every turn, whether it be their socials, website or packaging.
So don’t be afraid to get personal. Your mission as a modern brand is to get a very specific, targeted group to adore you. It is not to convince as many people as possible to think you’re just okay. You need to be individualistic, real and authentic.
4. Sustainability without greenwashing
Improving sustainability is not just a trend. It’s your job as a new brand to maintain its relevance and attention beyond a fleeting marketing tool. Although some brands have been guilty of jumping on board with sustainability from a pure marketing and greenwashing standpoint, others, who already have an aura of eco-friendliness within their mission statement, have gone all-in in their sustainable promotion.
A good example of this is Levi’s Jeans. The classic jeans manufacturer has launched a new sustainability campaign centred around buying higher quality products so that they last longer, and therefore producing less waste. In this campaign, Levis not only admit to not always getting it right in the past, but have actively improved their sustainable practices and methods that help make our products stand the test of time.
This is the kind of attitude you want to have with the sustainability part of your brand. Don’t do it for publicity or virtue signalling. Incorporate sustainability into your brand so it offers value, not as a desperate plea to appear a certain way. Be a part of a new wave of brands that make sustainability an implicit trait rather than a throw-away marketing tool.
